Introducing Matthew James, our 2024 RIBA AHR Scholarship recipient

Following an exciting judging period, Matthew was chosen as the winning recipient of the RIBA AHR Scholarship. The scholarship supports students from low-income households with a four-week paid work placement, mentoring and £7,000 to assist him with course and living costs throughout his Part II studies, which he will begin in September at the University of Nottingham.

The judging panel included:

• Dr Jenny Russell, RIBA Director of Education and Learning (Non-voting Chair)
• Maryam Al-Irhayim, Vice President for Students & Associates on RIBA Council; member of the RIBA Education Development Group
• Roy Khatchadouria, Founder/Architect at STUDIO ARKAY; Design Tutor at Loughborough University; member of the RIBA Education Development Group
• Gary Overton, Director and Head of Education at AHR
• Helen Revitt, Regional Director at AHR

As passionate supporters of equal rights to education and as part of our commitment to support inclusivity in the profession, we have been running the RIBA AHR Scholarship programme since 2008.

Achieving social value is part of our wider focus on sustainability

We create social value in many ways – through our projects, external activities, partnerships, and our role as an employer. A key example of how we fulfill this commitment is by fostering opportunities for disadvantaged groups and creating inclusive communities. The role we play in the scholarship is underpinned by our three key social value objectives:

• We champion a fair right to education for all
  Our commitment lies in offering improved opportunities to students who may face challenges in covering the costs of the Part II course in the form of a £7,000 grant to go towards their studies as well as a four-week paid work placement at one of our offices.
• We foster inclusive, accessible communities
  The aim of the scholarship is to address a perceived lack of inclusivity at the Part II stage of architecture. We enjoy working with people from all cultures and backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to their studies and to the profession.
  
• We support improved health and wellbeing
  Just as sustainability is a fundamental part of the built environment, we believe so too is the concept of wellness. The scholarship offers professional mentorship, support from colleagues, access to valuable technical resources for learning and growth as well as the invaluable experience of contributing to a live practice environment.

We look forward to sharing updates of Matthew’s progress with us. Stay up to date with the journey as well as other practice news by following our LinkedIn, X and Instagram accounts.

If you’re interested in learning more about the scholarship, you can read about Nuala, our 2023 RIBA AHR scholar and how she found the experience here.